Arrangement and method for producing a reinforcement cage

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to an arrangement and method for producing a reinforcement cage ( 100 ). The arrangement ( 1000 ) comprises: a control unit ( 700 ), and an assembler ( 500 ), the control unit ( 700 ) being arranged to provide reinforcement cage information relating to at least one from the group of position, order, and dimension of reinforcement bars in said reinforcement cage ( 100 ), and the assembler ( 500 ) being arranged to assemble reinforcement bars in accordance with said reinforcement cage information, thus producing said reinforcement cage ( 100 ).

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a method, and an arrangement for producing a reinforcement cage.

BACKGROUND ART

Reinforcement cages can, e.g., be used for reinforcement of bridge piers. Such reinforcement cages may have a large size, e.g., 10×10 m. However, reinforcement cages of that size are difficult, if not impossible, to transport from a factory to a building site. Therefore, only smaller reinforcement cages can be built and transported to the construction site.

When producing reinforcement cages, usually, the factory first produces reinforcement bars of a certain predefined dimension and with certain predefined bends. After that, another type of reinforcement bar is produced. Thereafter, people manually arrange the reinforcement bars and manually attach them to each other. This is time-consuming and expensive. Furthermore, the risk of the people making errors is quite high.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the above, an objective of the invention is to solve or at least reduce one or several of the drawbacks discussed above. Generally, the above objective is achieved by the attached independent patent claims.

According to a first aspect, the present invention is realized by an arrangement for producing at least one reinforcement cage. The arrangement comprises: a control unit, and an assembler, the control unit being arranged to provide reinforcement cage information relating to at least one from the group of position, order, and dimension of reinforcement bars in said reinforcement cage, and the assembler being arranged to assemble reinforcement bars in accordance with said reinforcement cage information, thus producing said reinforcement cage.

This is advantageous in that the structure of the reinforcement cage can be carefully planned before assembling the reinforcement cage. Furthermore, the production can be automated, more efficient and less likely to contain errors.

The assembler may comprise a reinforcement bar provider, at least one carrier robot, and an attachment robot, the at least one carrier robot being arranged to pick reinforcement bars from the reinforcement bar provider and to arrange the reinforcement bars on a surface in accordance with said reinforcement cage information, and the attachment robot being arranged to attach the reinforcement bars arranged on the surface to each other in accordance with said reinforcement cage information, thus producing said at least one reinforcement cage.

This is advantageous in that the process of producing reinforcement cages can be automated. Instead of at least one person manually arranging the reinforcement bars and manually attaching them together, this is carried out by the robots. Additionally, the production can be performed on site and the reinforcement cages need not be transported from a factory.

The reinforcement bar provider may provide reinforcement bars in accordance with said reinforcement cage information. This is advantageous in that the production can be automated, more efficient and less likely to contain errors.

The reinforcement bar provider may further comprise a supply having at least one roll of reinforcement bar, the reinforcement bar provider being arranged to select a roll of reinforcement bar having a dimension in accordance with said reinforcement cage information, and retrieve a part of the roll of reinforcement bar, and arranged to bend, straighten, and/or cut the part in accordance with said reinforcement cage information. This is advantageous in that rolls of reinforcement bar may be used. Transport of rolls of reinforcement bar is cost efficient and relatively simple.

The arrangement may further comprise the at least one carrier robot being arranged to hold the part during bending and/or cutting of the part. This is advantageous in that the carrier robot must not pick the part up after bending and/or cutting which is time efficient and reduces risks of errors.

The reinforcement bar provider may further comprise a supply having pre-cut and/or pre-bent reinforcement bars, and the reinforcement bar provider may be arranged to select pre-cut and/or pre-bent reinforcement bars from the supply in accordance with said reinforcement cage information. This is advantageous in that the reinforcement bar provider does not need to bend and/or cut rolls of reinforcement bar.

The reinforcement bar provider may be arranged at a first side of the surface, a second reinforcement bar provider may be arranged at a second side of the surface, and the second side may be orthogonal to the first side of the surface. In one embodiment, the second side may be opposite to the first side of the surface. This is advantageous in that the production of reinforcement cages can be speeded up since the robots have shorter paths to travel.

The arrangement may further comprise at least one holder arranged on the surface and arranged for receiving at least one reinforcement bar. This is advantageous in that arranging of the first reinforcement bars on the surface is simplified since they can be held in place by holders.

The arrangement may further comprise a crane arranged to transport the at least one reinforcement cage from the surface to a form. This is advantageous in that the entire production process can be automated. Furthermore, the reinforcement cages can be produced at the site where they will be used.

The arrangement may further comprise a protective tent arranged over at least one of the control unit, the reinforcement bar provider, the at least one carrier robot, the attachment robot, and the surface. This is advantageous in that the production of reinforcement cages can continue even during bad weather conditions such as, e.g., rain and wind.

The arrangement may further comprise the at least one carrier robot being arranged to acquire at least one image of reinforcement bars provided by the reinforcement bar provider, to compare the at least one image with at least one stored image, and to pick reinforcement bars in accordance with a result of the comparison. This is advantageous in that the at least one carrier robot is able to recognize the reinforcement bar that it is supposed to fetch.

According to a second aspect, the present invention is realized by a method for producing a reinforcement cage. The method comprises: a control unit providing reinforcement cage information relating to at least one from the group of position, order, and dimension of reinforcement bars in the reinforcement cage, and an assembler assembling reinforcement bars in accordance with said reinforcement cage information, thus producing said reinforcement cage.

The assembler may comprise a reinforcement bar provider, at least one carrier robot, and an attachment robot. The method may further comprise: the at least one carrier robot picking reinforcement bars from the reinforcement bar provider and arranging the reinforcement bars on a surface in accordance with said reinforcement cage information, the attachment robot attaching the reinforcement bars arranged on the surface to each other in accordance with said reinforcement cage information.

The method may further comprise the reinforcement bar provider to provide reinforcement bars in accordance with said reinforcement cage information.

The method may further comprise the reinforcement bar provider selecting, from a supply having at least one roll of reinforcement bar, a roll of reinforcement bar having a dimension in accordance with said reinforcement cage information, and retrieving a part of the roll of reinforcement bar, and bending, straightening, and/or cutting the part in accordance with said reinforcement cage information.

The method may further comprise the at least one carrier robot holding the part during bending and/or cutting of the part.

The method may further comprise the at least one carrier robot acquiring at least one image of reinforcement bars provided by the reinforcement bar provider, comparing the at least one image with at least one stored image, and picking reinforcement bars in accordance with a result of the comparison.

According to a third aspect, the present invention is realized by a method for producing a reinforcement cage. The method comprises:

generating a computer file comprising the reinforcement cage information of the second aspect, providing the control unit with said reinforcement cage information, and performing the steps of any one of the embodiments of the second aspect. This is advantageous in that the process can be fully automated.

The method may further comprise a crane transporting the reinforcement cage from the surface to a form.

According to a fourth aspect, the present invention is realized by a computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium with instructions for performing the method of any one of the aspects two or three.

The advantages of the first aspect are equally applicable to the second and the third aspect. Furthermore, it is to be noted that the second aspect can be embodied in accordance with the first aspect, and the first aspect can be embodied in accordance with the second aspect.

Other objectives, features and advantages of the present invention will appear from the following detailed disclosure, from the attached claims as well as from the drawings.

Generally, all terms used in the claims are to be interpreted according to their ordinary meaning in the technical field, unless explicitly defined otherwise herein. All references to “a/an/the [element, device, component, means, step, etc]” are to be interpreted openly as referring to at least one instance of said element, device, component, means, step, etc., unless explicitly stated otherwise. The steps of any method disclosed herein do not have to be performed in the exact order disclosed, unless explicitly stated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of a presently preferred embodiment, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the inventive arrangement.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the inventive arrangement.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the inventive arrangement.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which certain embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided by way of example so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the inventive arrangement 1000 for producing reinforcement cages and illustrates a construction site. A reinforcement cage 100 that has been produced by the arrangement is arranged in a form 200. The reinforcement cage 100 has been moved to the form 200 by a crane 300. In one embodiment, the crane 300 receives coordinates of the position of the form 200. The form 200 can, e.g., be used for casting bridge piers, slabs for buildings, base plates, etc. FIG. 1 further illustrates an assembler 500 and a control unit 700. The assembler is producing a reinforcement cage 100 by assembling reinforcement bars.

The control unit 700 is arranged to provide reinforcement cage information. A reinforcement cage comprises a plurality of reinforcement bars attached to each other. The reinforcement cage can have any shape. The reinforcement cage information can describe a structure of reinforcement cages. The reinforcement cage information can comprise information about position, order, and/or dimension of reinforcement bars in the reinforcement cage.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the inventive arrangement 1000. Reinforcement cage 100 is under production and is arranged on a surface 400. The surface 400 can, e.g., be cast concrete.

The assembler 500 comprises an attachment robot 510 and two carrier robots 520. The robots can be arranged on a robot holder 530. The robot holder 530 is arranged to move in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the robots are arranged to move. In this way, the robots can be moved over the entire part of the surface 400 onto which reinforcement bars are arranged. In this example, the number of carrier robots 520 is two. It is to be noted that it is also possible to have one carrier robot or more than two carrier robots.

The assembler 500 also comprises a reinforcement bar provider 540 which provides reinforcement bars. The reinforcement bar provider 540 may arrange the reinforcement bars on a bar surface 542. The carrier robots 520 pick reinforcement bars from the reinforcement bar provider 540 and arrange them on the surface 400 in accordance with a predetermined pattern. The first reinforcement bars to be placed on the surface 400 can be arranged in holders. These holders can be placed on the surface by, e.g., at least one carrier robot and/or at least one person. Alternatively, the reinforcement bars can be bent such that they can stay in position on the surface 400 on their own without any holder holding them. The first reinforcement bars to be placed on the surface 400 can, e.g., be reinforcement bars being part of a first layer of the reinforcement cage 100. The first layer of the reinforcement cage 100 is the layer closest to the surface 400 during production.

When the attachment robot 510 attaches the reinforcement bars to each other, at least one carrier robot can hold at least one of the reinforcement bars in place. The attachment robot can attach the reinforcement bars to each other by, e.g., welding, gluing, using clips and/or lashing.

The reinforcement bar provider 540 may have a supply having pre-cut and/or pre-bent reinforcement bars. In another embodiment, the reinforcement bar provider 540 may have a supply 600 having at least one roll 610 of reinforcement bar. In this embodiment, there are four rolls 610 of reinforcement bar. The rolls 610 of reinforcement bar can have different thicknesses. The reinforcement bar provider 540 selects a roll 610 of reinforcement bar having the desired thickness, retrieves a part of the roll 610 of reinforcement bar, and bends, straightens, and/or cuts the part as desired in order to provide a reinforcement bar. During bending and/or cutting of the part, the carrier robot 510 can hold the part. The two embodiments of the supply can be combined and/or used separately.

The reinforcement cage information can comprise information about which roll 610 of reinforcement bar the reinforcement bar provider 540 is to select. In one embodiment, the control unit 700 is arranged to instruct the reinforcement bar provider 540 which roll 610 of reinforcement bar the reinforcement bar provider 540 is to select.

FIG. 3 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the inventive arrangement 1000. In this embodiment, there is a second reinforcement bar provider 800 arranged at a second side of the surface 400. The second side 420 is orthogonal to the first side 410 of the surface 400. In one embodiment (not shown), the second side of the surface is parallel to the first side.

When planning the reinforcement cages to be produced, a 3D (three-dimensional) model of the reinforcement cage is created including information about position, order, and dimension of reinforcement bars. The reinforcement cage information referred to herein can be created and/or extracted from the 3D model. The 3D model can, e.g., be generated using computer-aided design (CAD).

Dimension can, e.g., be thickness and/or length of reinforcement bars. Position can be in what position the reinforcement bars are to be arranged in the reinforcement cage, e.g., coordinates and orientation. Thus, position can be in what positions the carrier robots arrange reinforcement bars. Order can, e.g., be in what order the reinforcement bars are to be arranged on the surface. Hence, the order can also be in what order the reinforcement bar provider is to provide the reinforcement bars and in what order the carrier robots are to pick which reinforcement bar. The predetermined pattern mentioned before can be determined from the order and position of the reinforcement cage information.

The reinforcement cage information can be sent to the control unit. The control unit uses the reinforcement cage information to provide at least one of the reinforcement bar provider 540, the second reinforcement bar provider 800 the robots 510, 520, and the portal 530 with instructions. In one embodiment, the control unit instructs the first and the second reinforcement bar providers 540 and 800 to select rolls of reinforcement bar in accordance with the reinforcement cage information and to bend, straighten, and/or cut the part in accordance with the reinforcement cage information.

A protective tent (not shown) can be arranged over at least one of the control unit 700, the assembler 500, the second reinforcement bar provider 800, and the surface 400. The protective tent can be opened in order for the crane 300 to move the produced reinforcement cages.

In one embodiment, the at least one carrier robot acquires at least one image of the reinforcement bars provided by the reinforcement bar provider. More specifically, reinforcement bars arranged on the bar surface are photographed. The images (photographs) are compared with stored images. This comparison can, e.g., be performed by either the carrier robot or the control unit. The carrier robot then picks the reinforcement bars for which the photographs correspond to the stored images. When comparing stored images with the photographs, the size and shape of the reinforcement bars can be compared. This embodiment is particularly advantageous when the supply has pre-cut and/or pre-bent reinforcement bars. From the stored images, the carrier robot can also receive information regarding at what part of the reinforcement bar to grip.

In one embodiment, in order to increase the rate of the production of reinforcement cages, the reinforcement bar provider can be instructed to provide next reinforcement bar before the carrier robot/robots is/are ready to pick the next reinforcement bar. This can be realized by the control unit monitoring the robots and then instructing the reinforcement bar provider to provide next reinforcement bar. Alternatively the carrier robot can inform the control unit that it needs a reinforcement bar and the control unit can then instruct the reinforcement bar provider to provide next reinforcement bar.

The inventive method and arrangement can almost fully automatically provide reinforcement cages. A method for producing at least one reinforcement cage can comprise the steps of: generating a computer file comprising the reinforcement bar information, providing the control unit with the reinforcement bar information, and producing the at least one reinforcement cage. A crane can transport the at least one reinforcement cage from the surface to a form. These steps can be performed automatically. No human needs to be involved in these steps.

The arrangement can be packed in a container and transported to a construction site. Hence, the parts of the arrangement are mobile. The surface 400 is cast at the site and the arrangement is unpacked and installed in connection to the surface 400.

It is to be noted that all embodiments and features described in this application are applicable on all aspects of the invention.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, such illustration and description are to be considered illustrative or exemplary and not restrictive; the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments.

Other variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed invention, from a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word “comprising” does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article “a” or “an” does not exclude a plurality. A single processor or other unit may fulfill the functions of several items recited in the claims. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage. Any reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope. 

1. An arrangement for producing a reinforcement cage comprising a control unit, and an assembler, the control unit being arranged to provide reinforcement cage information relating to at least one from the group of position, order, and dimension of reinforcement bars in said reinforcement cage, and the assembler being arranged to assemble reinforcement bars in accordance with said reinforcement cage information, thus producing said reinforcement cage.
 2. The arrangement according to claim 1, the assembler comprising a reinforcement bar provider, at least one carrier robot, and an attachment robot, the at least one carrier robot being arranged to pick reinforcement bars from the reinforcement bar provider and to arrange the reinforcement bars on a surface in accordance with said reinforcement cage information, and the attachment robot being arranged to attach the reinforcement bars arranged on the surface to each other in accordance with said reinforcement cage information.
 3. The arrangement according to claim 2, the control unit being arranged to instruct the reinforcement bar provider to provide reinforcement bars in accordance with said reinforcement cage information.
 4. The arrangement according to claim 2, the reinforcement bar provider further comprising a supply having at least one roll of reinforcement bar, the reinforcement bar provider being arranged to: select a roll of reinforcement bar having a dimension in accordance with said reinforcement cage information, and retrieve a part of the roll of reinforcement bar, and arranged to bend, straighten, and/or cut the part in accordance with said reinforcement cage information.
 5. The arrangement according to claim 4, further comprising the at least one carrier robot being arranged to hold the part during bending and/or cutting of the part.
 6. The arrangement according to claim 2, the reinforcement bar provider further comprising a supply having pre-cut and/or pre-bent reinforcement bars, and the reinforcement bar provider being arranged to select pre-cut and/or pre-bent reinforcement bars from the supply in accordance with said reinforcement cage information.
 7. The arrangement according to claim 1, further comprising the reinforcement bar provider being arranged at a first side of the surface, a second reinforcement bar provider being arranged at a second side of the surface, and the second side being orthogonal to the first side of the surface.
 8. The arrangement according to claim 1, further comprising at least one holder arranged on the surface and arranged for receiving at least one reinforcement bar.
 9. The arrangement according to claim 1, further comprising a crane arranged to transport the reinforcement cage from the surface to a form.
 10. The arrangement according to claim 1, further comprising a protective tent arranged over at least one of the control unit, the reinforcement bar provider, the at least one carrier robot, the attachment robot, and the surface.
 11. The arrangement according to claim 1, further comprising the at least one carrier robot being arranged to acquire at least one image of reinforcement bars provided by the reinforcement bar provider, to compare the at least one image with at least one stored image, and to pick reinforcement bars in accordance with a result of the comparison.
 12. A method for producing a reinforcement cage comprising: a control unit providing reinforcement cage information relating to at least one from the group of position, order, and dimension of reinforcement bars in the reinforcement cage, and an assembler assembling reinforcement bars in accordance with said reinforcement cage information, thus producing said reinforcement cage.
 13. The method according to claim 12, the assembler comprising a reinforcement bar provider, at least one carrier robot, and an attachment robot, the method further comprising: the at least one carrier robot picking reinforcement bars from the reinforcement bar provider and arranging the reinforcement bars on a surface in accordance with said reinforcement cage information, and the attachment robot attaching the reinforcement bars arranged on the surface to each other in accordance with said reinforcement cage information.
 14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising the reinforcement bar provider providing reinforcement bars in accordance with said reinforcement cage information.
 15. The method according to claim 13, further comprising: the reinforcement bar selecting, from a supply having at least one roll of reinforcement bar, a roll of reinforcement bar having a dimension in accordance with said reinforcement cage information, and retrieving a part of the roll of reinforcement bar, and bending, straightening, and/or cutting the part in accordance with said reinforcement cage information.
 16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising the at least one carrier robot holding the part during bending and/or cutting of the part.
 17. The method according to claim 12, further comprising the at least one carrier robot acquiring at least one image of reinforcement bars provided by the reinforcement bar provider, comparing the at least one image with at least one stored image, and picking reinforcement bars in accordance with a result of the comparison.
 18. Method for producing a reinforcement cage comprising: generating a computer file comprising reinforcement cage information relating to at least one from the group of position, order, and dimension of reinforcement bars in the reinforcement cage, providing a control unit with said reinforcement cage information, and assembling, by an assembler, reinforcement bars in accordance with said reinforcement cage information, thus producing said reinforcement cage.
 19. Method according to claim 18, further comprising: a crane transporting the reinforcement cage from the surface to a form.
 20. Computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium with instructions for performing the method of claim
 12. 